Fragments
by FallingNarwhals
Summary: It all began in the woods, when a blurry fragment of my imagination would appear. I would normally ignore it, telling myself it was a trick of the light, but not today. Today was different. AU. DxS Rated T for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Fragments Chapter One**

 **Summery: It all began in the woods, when a blurry fragment of my imagination would appear. I would normally ignore it, telling myself it was a trick of the light, but not today. Today was different. AU. DxS**

 **Disclaimer: Butch Hartman is a boy. I'm fairly sure I'm a girl. *Checks* Yep, I'm a girl.**

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It all began in the woods, where the sun would stream through the bright green leaves and contrasting with the warm shade that the old thick branches provided. I would be walking along a twisted path with no real markings to help me if I was lost, and I would sometimes see a blurry image in the corner of my eye.

"A fragment of my imagination," I would tell myself often. "Like the monster in your closet or the thing that stares at you when you get soap in your eyes."

But as time passed however, the strange fragment of my rather vivid imagination evolved. The blurry image appeared more often, always disappearing when I looked head on, and leaving me to stare at the almost gothic depths of the forest that I loved so much. Everything would go silent, as if it went mute. The gentle forest breeze that flowed through the woods like a stream would stop. Even the leaves that rustled in the slightest amount wind would freeze, leaving me to hear my own footsteps thud on the twisting trail.

On any other day I would have ignored it. But not today though.

This day was different.

Maybe it was the way how the strange silence rang in my ears on the hot summer day, or the way how I saw the fragment look more human-like than ever before, but this was they day I called out. "Who are you?" I asked, feeling quite foolish, as no sane person would call out to nothing in the middle of a forest.

The fragment obviously didn't answer, but I could almost swear it was pointing at something off of the trail that I normally took. Or maybe it was just my imagination.

I turned to the figure dead on, and nothing was there. Not a leaf rustled, not a depression in the soft ground from the midsummer storm the night before, not a blade of grass bent. If I didn't see that shadow there a moment before, I wouldn't even have glanced its way.

Glancing to where it was pointing, the same fate awaited me. Not a thing out of normal in sight, not even a flaw in the bark on the smooth birch trees. So why did I feel like I should notice this? That this was important to me?

The fragment seemed to nod in the corner of my mind, and he, for I decided it was he as it had a mound of fluffy hair, dissolved into nothing, leaving me to wonder if he was only a fragment of my over reactive imagination. After all, I've been walking in this forest for years now, always following the same rather thin path that slithered like a snake around the white birch trees, why should today be anything different?

I gently set one of my black converse off of the soft path, and onto the leaf-strung ground. It was slightly more soft, as it hadn't had me walking on it for years to harden it.

I walked on, not really caring when my shoes stuck to the mud and left deep footprints behind me, admiring the simple beauty of the late afternoon sun streaming through the leaves. If I could concentrate, I could just see the fragment to the left of me, almost running to keep up with my long strides.

"It's just part of my imagination, or a shadow of a tree." I reassured myself as I stepped on a stick and broke it.

But the fragment didn't even feel dangerous. He had a calming reassurance in his presence, almost like I could trust him. He was about my hight, that much I could tell, and I could feel his gaze when I stopped, urging me to go on. He didn't sound like those ghosts that you hear in stories, that would lure a victim into a dark cave and murder them, leaving only the heart for the police to find. He felt... Safe.

So when the fragment appeared in front of me, I balked, before falling down on my knees and staring. I didn't expect a fragment that must be a part of my vivid imagination to actually appear!

He was almost like a ghost, for I was correct in assuming he was a he. He was like a picture out of a child's coloring book, if a child had colored in everything in shades of gray. He wasn't faceless, like slenderman, but had a rather small nose and a thin face. He still had tiny rolls of baby fat, which contrasted with his skinny build. He had a mop of dark hair that fell into his eyes. Oh dear god, his eyes. They were a beautiful sky blue, swirling and glittering. They were striking, standing out from his gray coloring.

I gapped at the shade. Ghosts don't exist! I was merely following my instincts to satisfy my overreactive subconscious, not really believing that I was taking orders from a ghost, but yet, here one was!

"Hello?" I asked it nervously. "Are you.. Real?" I dreaded it answering, which would prove that I was either insane, or ghosts were real, neither of which I wanted.

The fragment stared at me with those beautiful eyes for a moment before reply. "I believe so," he rasped, as if he had not used his voice in a long while.

Oh dear god. He was real. Or I was insane, but I was fairly positive that I was completely sane, unfortunately.

His face was innocent, almost hopeful. I noticed that he was floating a few inches above the ground, as of he didn't want to get his feet dirty.

"Why do you believe so? Do you think that you are not real?" I asked, quite curious. It's not everyday you get to talk to a ghost, after all.

He thought about it for a moment, those transparent gray eyebrows wrinkling in thought. "Because not everyone can see me."

That makes sense. If I was invisible to everyone, I wouldn't think I was real either. "What's your name?"

He looked rather taken aback. Those sparkling blue eyes widened in curiosity, confusion and was that... Fear?

"I don't really know." He replied honestly. Those beautiful eyes were cast downward in shame.

"Hey, it's okay," I said, trying to comfort him. "We can give you one."

His eyebrows shot up in excitement. "Really?" He asked, as if I offered to give him an adorable puppy.

I laughed. "Of course!"

He smiled, a grateful grin that seemed to make the sunlit woods light up a bit more. I thought it was quite strange how I could be laughing with a ghost in the middle,of the forest, as if we were old friends. But the strangeness in it went away as I listed off names for the Fragment to pick.

Yes, Fragment. He seemed to real to be called a ghost, whenever he was dead or not. Ghosts are malevolent creatures, and this Fragment wasn't mean or even rude.

"Hmm.. How about John?" I said absent-mildly.

He shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. "That one sounds too boring."

"Jack? Alex? David?"

"Nope. Those don't sound like me." He replied, sounding unsure of himself

"Well, what is you? What do you like?" I pestered, still going through names in my mind, but still interested in what he had to say. Was he dead? Did he remember being alive? Or was his memory completely gone, like a shooting star? One minute there, next one gone.

"I don't really remember. But I like how the sun would change the sky colors, and how at night you can see millions of stars. I hate the rain, the way how the water drops on my head is annoying." He shook his head in annoyance, his bangs falling in his eyes.

"Hmm.. Daniel?" I finally came up with.

"Maybe. But how about Danny instead? Daniel sounds too formal." The Fragment replied.

"Danny. I like it," I said, testing out the word. "It suits you."

He grinned. "My name is Danny!" He cried out into the thicket, silencing the birds mid-note.

I laughed, and the bubbling noise echoed throughout the woods. I glanced down at my watch, and froze. Seven thirty?! I was supposed to be back fifteen minutes ago!

I turned towards Danny, who was still happily repeating his new name. "Danny, Danny, Danny-"

"Danny? I have to go." I told the fragment, and felt a pang of guilt when I saw the disappointed expression on his face. "But I'll come back tomorrow!" I quickly added, and felt better when Danny looked instantly uplifted at the thought.

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Good." He nodded. "But wait! I don't even know your name!" He called as I turned around to run back quickly. His blue eyes were full of curiosity, almost as if he was guessing what name could belong to a girl who sees ghosts.

"Oh, it's Sam. Good bye, Danny!" I called, waving my hand.

I saw him grin out of the corner of my eye. "Good bye, Sam!"

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 **YAYAYAY FIRST CHAPTER! *Fistpumps***

 **Music I'm listening to: "Circus for a Psycho" by Skillet. I LOVE ME SOME SKILLET. I'm like dancing around my room to this song. DANCE WITH ME, EVERYONE! XD I'm so weird.**

 **Oh, and my friend, Miggaliea, put this up on DEVINTart for me! His name is I'm-stuck-in-a-well, and he also made the cover art for this story a well! THANK YOU MIGGALIEA! I'll put a link up on my bio later if you want to check out some more art for this story. Or if you want to read the first chapter on DA.**

 **I'm rather proud of this story, if I do say so myself. I spent forever on it, agonizing over every word, seeing if it fit. I even had my English teacher look over this! (Thanks again, Mrs. S!) GAH. But I it was worth it!**

 **(I never know what to say on these things. Hi, this is my brain. Purple monkey dishwasher. I have red hair.)**

 **Have a great week everyone!**

 **And don't forget to review!**

 **-FallingNarwhals**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fragments Chapter Two**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the line breaks.** **{~}{~}{~} See? Aren't the pretty? Butch Hartman can't make as much spanking awesome line breaks.**

 **Danny: And the plot! How could you not forget the plot?! *Clutches his heart***

 **Me: Yeah, I guess I own the plot. But technically my friend Miggaliea came up with the idea so...**

 **Danny: Pft. He's not the one writing this.**

 **Me: Yeah, but he made the cover, so it's good enough. Now get back into my story!**

 **Danny: Oh Raven, you've hurt me so...**

 **Me (My name is Raven): Save the drama for the story! You'll need it.**

 **Danny: Shh! Don't tell them!**

 **Me: Hee hee... Oops?**

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I race across the twisting trail, which is now dry and sandy as the heated night evaporated any trace of water in the ground. I wait at the place where Danny found me yesterday, hoping the birds that were singing in the sturdy birch tree would fall silent, announcing Danny's presence.

This time I brought a book to show the ghost. It was a book nearly everyone has heard of, and it might spark a memory in his blank mind. Harry Potter. I liked it because it was full of witchcraft and adventures, and it drives my parents crazy when they see me reading that "Pitiful waste of literature." I truly and honestly think that they are bent out on destroying anything I enjoy to mold me into this "Prim and Proper young girl" that every rich family needs.

I open to the dog-eared page I was on, and begun to read, soon losing myself in the depths of Harry's adventures at a school of magic. I didn't notice the gentle summer breeze grow cold, than stop, or the mockingbirds in the tree above me let out a cry of fear and flew away.

But my heart nearly stopped when a voice broke though my reading. "Hello, Sam."

I jumped up, and whirled around to see Danny floating a few inches above the ground. "Dude! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I gasped.

"I thought my name was Danny?" He asked, confused. I rolled my eyes and picked my book off the ground. "No, 'Dude' is just a nickname people call each other. Kind of like a greeting."

"What is that?" He asked suspiciously, pointing to my book with a thin finger. His gaze held no recognition at the popular book, disproving my theory.

"Oh, just a book. If you like I can read it aloud later." I replied, taking in his floating gray stature. Than I noticed something was different than yesterday. I could see a outline of a logo on his T-shirt, and pockets on his gray jeans. "Hey, your shirt is different!"

He looked down in surprise. "They weren't like that earlier!" He exclaimed, touching the outline of the oval-shaped logo.

"Anyway," He began, disregarding his new appearance. "I want to show you something today!"

I followed him through the forest, my footfalls an explosion in the silence Danny brought around him. He easily floated over small things like branches and rocks that liked to trip me, and I had a hard time keeping up with him. I

Soon, the trees thinned out onto a beautiful cliff overlooking the forest beyond. The place was littered with big mossy stones, and the cliff itself was amazingly big, nearly a hundred feet in the air. Far below, a small creek twisted through the green vegetation, almost completely covered by the leafy trees.

"It's beautiful," I murmured. Danny shrugged. "I sometimes come up here when I'm feeling unreal." He said, gazing out on the edge.

"Well," I said uncomfortably, trying to break the awkwardness surrounding the last comment. "It's the perfect place to read."

I leaned back against a moss covered rock and opened the book. Danny floated down next to me, the air around him cool, a relief to the hot summer day. I read aloud as the sun climbed higher and higher in the sky, with Danny hanging onto my every word. I do admit I wasn't the best oral reader, I stumbled over the simplest words, and misread a few, and sometimes even skipped a page. But Danny was patient, he politely pointed it out when I skipped a page, or laughed with me when I mispronounced Dumbledore's name.

Soon we had finished the book. The sun was setting right over the cliff, sending red and orange streaks into the sky, and turning the clouds purple and pink. I noticed my bookmark had been blown to the edge, and I pushed myself forward carefully, grabbing the paper slip. I didn't want to litter and destroy this beautiful place!

Danny watched me carefully, concern bright in his sky blue eyes. "Sam, please be careful," he said, tapping his fingers nervously on his thigh.

I stood up carefully, the bookmark with a panda holding a gun in my left hand. "I'm alright, Danny." I would admit, I was quite scared to be on the edge of a high cliff, with the wind nipping at my face, tingling the outline of my cheeks a dusty pink, but that was nothing when I slipped on a small, almost unnoticeable moss covered rock. I found myself gripping onto the edge of the rocky cliff, sharp pebbles digging into my hands, and dangling a hundred feet in the air.

"Sam!" Danny cried, rushing towards me.

Than, something happened that I defiantly wasn't expecting. Danny flew behind me and grabbed my waist. I was so shocked, I let go of the edge, but I didn't fall. I actually felt Danny's arms. He was solid! Here I was, floating a hundred feet in the air with a ghost that wasn't transparent. I had assumed that he was intangible, like the ghosts I read about, and therefore I never touched him, in case I offended him by accident.

He carried me back onto solid land, but I didn't let go of him. The adrenaline was still rushing through me, making my body shake and shiver. Than the realization hit me. I nearly died! My grandma would have been heartbroken, and my parents would have been shocked. I pressed my face into his shoulder and cried. He was cold, like an ice cube, but his gestures were filled with warmth.

"Shh, it's alright Sam... You're safe." He murmured has he rubbed little circles into my back. I looked up into his sky blue eyes and nodded. "I'm fine."

He looked down at me, still cradled in his thin arms. "I.. I'm solid?"

I laughed, the bubbling sound echoing through the wind worn forest, silencing the birds like Danny when he laughed. "Yeah Danny. You're solid enough to save me."

I unclenched my left fist. The evil panda bookmark was still in my hand, and the book was slightly askew on the rock. Danny looked where I was gazing, and quietly said "I'll get that."

He held the book in his hands, as if he truly couldn't believe that he was a part of a world that could hold a solid object.

"You can keep it," I said, enjoying the look of wonder and happiness on the fragment's face. His eyes lit up, and he stuttered out unbelieving thanks, while I handed him the evil panda bookmark.

"What exactly is this? It made you walk off a cliff, so it must be rather important." He asked, looking at the panda and tracing the weapon the panda held in its paw. "It just looks like a piece of paper..." He trailed off. "Is that a panda holding a gun?"

I laughed, still clutching at the ground nervously. My knuckled were turning white. "Yeah. It's a bit of a inside joke."

He analyzed me, taking note of my knuckles and my posture, still hunched over, protectively holding the moss-covered ground.

"We need to get you off of here." He declared. Before I could protest, he swooped me up, bridal style, and took off.

"Ah! Danny!" I screamed, almost scared that we were this high up. But I relaxed. His grip was firm, and the view up here was... Amazing. I felt like I could do anything. 'If this is the perks of being dead," I thought. "Than I can't wait to die.'

I turned my head towards Danny, and studied his face. Every worry line, every freckle, everything. If he was only a fragment of my imagination, which I honestly didn't believe anymore, than I wanted to be able to have his face in my mind if he should disappear.

He slowed down, sinking towards the ground. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, and not just because the ground was getting closer. I didn't want this to end. After all, I finally made my first friend that wasn't fifteen years older than me. I wanted to be with Danny as much as possible.

But, alas, I promised my parents that I'll be home by sundown. Always sundown. I never got anything more or less. I spent my younger days out in this forest, making friends with the squirrels and the trees, trying to ignore the problems that I would always face when I had to go home.

Once, I attempted to spend the night out here. I was just curling up, on a thick tree branch, to go to sleep and watch the stars, when a coppery snake slithered across my foot. I was so shocked, I couldn't move. Than the little shaded figure, the faintest of wisps at the time, grew stronger in presence, silencing the crickets, and sending the snake away. I quickly ran home, not looking back once.

"Are you coming tomorrow?" Danny asked once my feet skimmed the ground.

"Yes, of course."

He looked almost hesitant, before wrapping me in a warm hug, or as warm as you can get when your body temperature is somewhere in the fifties. I paused, before hugging him back. "Good bye Sam," he whispered.

"Bye," I whispered back.

Walking home under the fading sky, I had to remind myself that it was just a friendly hug, and nothing more. But it was hard to tell yourself that when you felt like you were flying again.

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 **YAYAY FLUFFY ENDING! Or at least my lame attempt at it, ha ha.**

 **Danny: So, was that me that saved Sam from that snake?**

 **Me: Yeah, why?**

 **Sam: Really Raven? You made me walk off a cliff for a bookmark? And what's with the Harry Potter stuff?**

 **Me:**

 **Me:**

 **Me: ... I don't know. I like Harry Potter, okay?**

 **Danny: At least it wasn't Twilight.**

 **Me: Oh god no...**

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 **Hee hee... I was having some fun talking to fictional charaters. XD**

 **I know that Sam and Danny are a little OOC, but this is an AU story, and I can do what I want to them. Deal with it.**

 **Was this a bit too rushed? I felt like this was a little fast, but I wanted to work on my other story.**

 **Man, I wasn't supposed to mention that either...**

 **Like it? Hate it? Just review it!**

 **-FallingNarwhals**


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